Extreme Sport in Hungary

Higher, faster! Embrace your inner child that is full of curiosity, looking for adventure and excitement. Hungary provides visitors with countless opportunities to do so. Slide on the waters, fall from the skies, climb up rocks, and race down hills – embrace danger!

Hungary is particularly rich in water – numerous lakes await those who like to slide, to jump or to dive. Are you addicted to speed? Grab your surf or wakeboard (or rent one at one of the numerous schools and sports stations) and head to Lake Balaton. At the eastern end of the legendary golden shore of Siófok, you'll find Surfbeach which is great for kite and windsurfers. Shallow water, soft sandy beach and a soft blowing wind provide the perfect conditions to head out onto the open water. Let us not forget about Lake Velence either – at Surfcore, you can rent all the equipment you need to brave the water. If the wind is right, go for a wind surf or if it's rather quiet, try out the so-called stand-up paddling, a special technique from Hawaii. Thrills of another kind are offered at Lake Tisza – put on your water skis and let the motor boat pull you through the water. Speaking of water have you tried diving yet? Hungary has several spots where you can explore the underwater world, mostly old mine lakes. Head to the Kotró Lake in Gyékényes for a depth of 6 metres and especially clean water or to the lake of Szalkszentmárton to dive 8 metres. The coolest experience is provided at the Palatinus Lake where an underwater museum on diving awaits.

From the depth of the waters high up into the air – it's time for you to fly. Go to www.egiseta.hu and book your pleasure flight and enjoy a birds-eye view of Budapest and its surroundings. For extra excitement opt for a night flight along the Danube, to marvel at the beauty of the illuminated city. Once you're up there, you've got to get down somehow, right? Here's where tandem parachuting comes into play. All you need is a little courage and some trust in your instructor who does all the work for you. Take that step into the air and enjoy the free fall from up to 3000 metres. With kite and paraglider no need to jump out of a flying aircraft, just head to a hill and use your feet – if you're good, you can spend hours in the air, even gaining altitude.

Do you consider yourself the king of the road? No worries, you'll find your fun as well. If you get one fine after the other for speeding, it's time for you to head to the Formula 1 race court and act out your driving fantasy. . Go to www.drivef1.hu and see all the beasts you could drive. Can you handle 700 hp, capable of accelerating to 200 km/h in just 5 seconds? There's only one way to find out. Of course you can try it out in the small version first – numerous go-kart courts await in Hungary. At www.gokartpalyak.hu you'll find them all in one place. Are you more the off-road kind of guy, someone who's not afraid to get a bit dirty? Off-road quad driving is offered at many courts in Hungary, at the Szőlőszem Farm however, your court is the surrounding nature itself! Speed across forests at up to 50 km/h, cross creeks, climb up hills and fight the mud – it's you against nature here. Skateboard, inline skating and BMX are especially popular among Hungarian youngsters – they can be spotted downtown in all major cities, performing their tricks, but there are impressive skater parks as well.

There aren't too many high hills in Hungary, but that doesn't mean that you have to give up on skiing/snowboarding. In fact, there are several well-equipped ski centres worth visiting. Probably the best equipped is the Ski Arena of Eplény – 32 snow cannons provide reliable snow and 6 lifts take you to the top of the slopes that are 4.5 km long all in total. Here you'll find Hungary's steepest course as well, reaching up to 30 degrees. If you're all about the height, head to Kékestető, Hungary's highest spot of 1014 metres. Here the country's longest course begins: 1.8 km of pure joy.

Racing downhill is just as much fun in the warm months, of course – just trade your skis for your two-wheeled machine. The Ski Arena of Eplény turns into a biker's paradise after the snow is gone. The downhill court is 1.6 km long and contains 34 obstacles – a true challenge for enthusiastic riders. Hungary's longest downhill bike court opened just recently in the Mátra mountains. A fall of 600 m and a length of 7 km provide for an intense adrenalin rush. Besides the downhill bike you can choose a three-wheeled mountain cart or the ‘monsterroler' for your joyride – which can all be rented with the necessary equipment.